


Give Me Love (Satinalia Special)

by Dirthera



Series: Give Me Love [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Modern AU, Polyamorous relationship, Satinalia, Twin Hawkes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 02:19:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9051367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirthera/pseuds/Dirthera
Summary: On Satinalia and found families.I would recommend reading part one of the series before this one, but it's absolutely not completely necessary for understanding most of this! I think!





	

When Marian woke up in the middle of a mess of limbs and torsos, with two soft breaths the only sounds filling the room, she didn’t at once realize what day it was. It felt like any other day, and that this, heads on her chest, limbs entangled with hers, soft skin against skin, had become normal to her, that was a miracle unlike any she had ever experienced. She would never stop being grateful for it.

With the soft breaths all around her and eyes closed, it took a few minutes to gain enough wakefulness for the realization to hit her. It was Satinalia.

After a moment’s consideration, she still decided to stay in bed, under the covers, tangled with her girls, in the warmth. Her nose was cold from exposure to the cold air of the apartment, so Marian turned over and nuzzled her face into a back, resulting in a squeak that definitely sounded like it came from Merrill. Marian smiled, nuzzling closer, and the muscles of the back she was pressed against began relaxing. After a moment Merrill turned over so Marian’s face was pressed against her neck rather than her back.

“Good morning, vhenan,” Merrill murmured into Marian’s hair, and Marian couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face. The smiles were new, they used to be rare but were less so now, and it felt… good.

“Good morning,” she murmured back, her voice rough with sleep.

Marian stiffened as she felt a cold hand slide up her back, but relaxed again quickly and turned her head to look at the woman behind her. “Good morning, babe,” Isabela said with a grin, her hand moving down and giving Marian’s ass a quick squeeze, then moving over her and to Merrill’s cheek, caressing it softly. “And good morning to you too, kitten.” Marian could see clearly the fondness in Isabela’s eyes as she looked at Merrill, and almost smiled again.

They lay like that for a while, shifting slightly from time to time, just enjoying each other’s warmth, each other’s company, each other’s touch, until Marian heard shuffling in the kitchen.

She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, then carefully detangled herself from the other women, getting up from the bed and watching fondly as Merrill and Isabela sought toward each other, closing the gap left by Marian and curling into each other, sharing warmth under the cover. A minute later the only parts of them visible were the vague shapes of them under the duvet and the tops of their heads.

Marian really did love them, she thought to herself, feeling a soft smile spread on her face. She really did.

Stumbling into the kitchen, overdue for a cup of coffee, Marian barely gave Fenris a nod in greeting before opening the cupboard and fishing out her favorite mug, with a rainbow flag and the words _The only straight I am is straight up bitch_ written in bold under it. She filled it with coffee from the pot Fenris had prepared, and after a few sips, a sliver of increased wakefulness, she turned to Fenris.

“Morning,” she said, and the corner of Fenris’s mouth seemed to lift slightly.

“Morning,” he responded, his low and gravelly voice reflecting the small, humorous grin on his face. Marian just looked on in confusion until it dawned on her, then narrowed her eyes while trying to hold back a grin of her own.

“You are not allowed to make fun of my bed head, your hair wouldn’t look so pristine if you had two girlfriends who love running their hands through it every opportunity they get!” she told him, the small grin making its way through despite her best efforts to keep it at bay.

Fenris simply raised an eyebrow, his grin spreading as he said, “I didn’t say anything.”

Marian huffed and turned to the fridge, opening it and peering inside. “Satinalia breakfast?” she suggested, and saw Fenris nod from the corner of her eye. She surveyed the food they had bought for the occasion, pulling items out and setting them on the bench one by one. Once she was done, she looked expectantly at Fenris.

He raised an eyebrow at her again in question, and she sighed, then raised her own eyebrow. “You know, there’s a reason Garrett refuses to let me cook,” she told Fenris, and the realization dawning in his eyes was the most entertaining thing she had seen in a while. He quickly neutralized his expression again.

“I see,” he responded, and in a pretend-subtle gesture he pushed the edibles out of her reach. Marian just grinned at him and went to the sink, deciding to at least help with the dishes as he prepared their food.

It didn’t take long for the clatter of dishes and the chatter between Marian and Fenris to wake Garrett, it seemed, as he came through the door of the bedroom he shared with Fenris only a few minutes after they had begun working, his hair a mess, his eyes looking heavy, and still in his pajamas.

“Morning, Gare!” Marian chirped, and her brother gave her a small nod in response, making a beeline for Fenris.

“Morning,” Garrett mumbled once he had reached his target, draping an arm around Fenris’s waist as the other man kept organizing food on a platter. Fenris took a small break from his work to lean up on his toes and plant a small kiss on Garrett’s lips, and when he pulled away, Marian could see Garrett’s smile.

They were disgustingly cute, and Marian was so, so happy for them.

Marian moved out of the way and began setting the table, having finished with the dishes, so Garrett could take up post by the kitchen counter and help Fenris with the food prep. By the time she finished with that task, it looked like they were just about ready.

“I’m gonna go get Merrill and Bela,” she announced, then turned on her heel and headed toward their bedroom. The door slid open easily when she pushed at it, and inside it was still dark. She flicked on the light switch.

Merrill and Isabela were still curled together under the covers, clutching at each other, but they were both now blinking against the sudden light, heads slightly raised and a protest practically visible on their lips.

Marian kept her expression neutral as she spoke up. “Breakfast,” she told them, and stood in the doorway, waiting for them to get ready. They both detangled themselves from each other slowly, their movements sluggish as they dragged themselves out of bed. Soon they were both up and standing, Merrill in her halla-patterned pajamas and fuzzy slippers, Isabela in her underwear with a comfy morning robe (stolen from Marian, of course) over and woolen socks on her feet. It was probably the least sexy morning robe in the world, and Marian almost had to laugh at the picture Isabela made in it.

A grin on her face, Marian turned and paraded out of the room and into the common area, where Garrett and Fenris had finished setting out bread and toppings on the table. She could hear the shuffling of feet behind her and didn’t need to look to know that her girlfriends (how she loved thinking that word) were following her.

They all settled down at the small table in the middle of the kitchen, Garrett and Fenris across from each other by the wall, Marian next to Fenris, Merrill by Garrett, and then Isabela at the end of the table, looking out at them all. The chatter commenced immediately after they all settled down, and as they ate, the topics of discussion ranged from comic books to mob dealings, from work to whether their Divine or the Tevinter Divine would win in a fight. On the last topic, the table was divided, and the discussion went on for a while before reaching the inevitable conclusion that if they fought, that would mean a war, which meant they were all fucked, and so there was no use discussing it anyway.

Breakfast was a slow affair, with all the discussions waged across the table and the friendly teasing. Besides, none of them were in a rush. They had the entire day to themselves, with no one else bothering them. None of them had family in their lives other than the Hawkes’ siblings, who were celebrating with some friends from university. In one way, Marian could understand them staying away. It hadn’t been that long since their mother had died, and Satinalia, which had always been a big deal in their family, being celebrated with their siblings but not their parents? Marian could see the pain in that. And so, by extension, she could see why the twins weren’t joining them.

Not that it made that much of a difference. They had found their family, her and Garrett, and she hoped the younger set of twins had found one as well.

Marian’s attention turned back to the table, where Garrett was listening intently to one of Merrill’s stories from her clan, and Fenris and Isabela were bickering good-naturedly, Isabela telling Fenris where he could stick the sausage he was playfully refusing to send her, and him responding with commentary Marian didn’t really want to pay too close attention to. They were all laughing and smiling, though, so Marian grinned as well and stood, beginning to clean up after them. The others quickly got up to help.

With all five of them helping, the chore was done in only a few minutes, and they all looked at each other expectantly, standing in a circle next to the table. Garrett was the first to break the silence.

“Gifts?” he asked, and the others nodded. They all quickly dispersed to their own small hiding places where they had stashed them. They had all agreed not to give big things that year, as none of them had a lot of money to work with, what with Garrett being a student, Isabela being a thief, Fenris being a barista, Merrill doing retail, and Marian working… some illegal security jobs, to put it nicely.

Marian got her gifts out of the small cabinet under their shitty TV, the one she had used as a hiding place ever since they’d moved into the apartment, since no one ever used that shitty cabinet for anything other than a TV stand. When she had retrieved them all, she collapsed down onto the couch, taking up more space than strictly necessary, of course, and waited for the others.

They weren’t far behind, and soon they were all gathered around the couch, the women curled up and intertwined on the couch, the men sitting as close together as humanly possible on the floor in a nest of pillows and blankets, the nest that had been a permanent fixture in the apartment for the past half year, ever since their family had grown. Then the gifts were exchanged.

Merrill had made everyone small pieces of jewelry out of various materials, beautiful and intricate small woven pieces, and everyone loved them. Marian put hers on immediately, wanting nothing more than to keep it on forever. Isabela had gotten them all shiny baubles from various jobs she had worked, all useless but all beautiful. Marian was sure she would keep hers forever, displayed on a shelf maybe, with all the other baubles she had received from her love through the years. Garrett had gotten them all small notebooks, to jot down anything they may need, ever the good, academic student. Fenris gave them all, except Merrill, samples of new brews they had gotten in the coffee shop, prettily packaged and smelling like heaven. Merrill got a tea sample instead, and her smile at opening her present could have outshined the sun. Marian was the last to give presents, but was happy to see that her offerings of small switchblades she had picked off incapacitated adversaries from work were well received, as were her offers of teaching the others how to use them most effectively.

The gift exchange didn’t take long, and once everyone had given what they had, Garrett and Marian exchanged a meaningful glance. Marian was the first to stand.

Isabela and Merrill made to follow her, assuming that they were moving on, but Marian quickly gestured down to the couch again, urging them without words to stay put. When Garrett stood and followed after Marian, she could see that Fenris stayed put, giving Garrett only a short but curious look before striking up conversation with Bela and Merrill.

Marian retreated into her room for more privacy, Garrett following on her heels, and once they were both inside she closed the door softly but firmly. The room was a mess, but neither commented on it as Marian picked through a messy drawer, quickly finding what she was looking for, and placed the object in question on her windowsill. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and handed it to Garrett, nodding at the thick candle that now stood perched on the sill.

Once the candle was lit and a moment had passed by, Garrett broke the silence. “Merry Satinalia, mom and dad,” he said quietly. “Love you.”

He always was a sap, Marian thought, but when he glanced at her expectantly she still cleared her throat and spoke in the same quiet voice Garrett had used. “We didn’t really see eye to eye, and we never really got along, but you weren’t horrible parents, so thanks for that, I guess.”

Garrett gave her a look, and she could read her twin’s thoughts from that one look. _Not perfect, but better than it used to be,_ the look said, and Marian had to agree. She was making her peace with her past, with her dead parents and everything they had wanted from her that she hadn’t wanted to give, and it was a slow process, but one she was going through. For herself, not for them.

They stood there in silence for a few more moments, until restlessness took over and Marian blew out the candle before leaving the room again. Garrett didn’t reemerge until Marian had settled down in the couch again, a tired smile plastered on his face, one that looked obviously fake but became more and more real the closer he came to Fenris.

Marian would always be thankful that Garrett had found someone. That he had found this someone, this person who could turn a fake smile real just through his presence.

The room was silent, all eyes on the twins, and Marian could feel it in her entire body, the unasked questions, the questions that wouldn’t be asked out of respect by everyone but Bela, the questions that wouldn’t be asked by Bela if she made some sort of distraction.

“Anyone have any movies they watch every Satinalia?” Marian asked, which soon proved to be a good method of distraction, as a discussion was immediately started about which Satinalia movie was decidedly most Satinalia-y, a discussion that lasted for almost fifteen minutes before the five of them managed to find a movie they all wanted to watch.

And thus passed the afternoon, cuddling, watching movies, curled up together, simply enjoying being a family, enjoying being near each other, enjoying being present and alive and together.

Halfway through the second movie, Garrett looked at his watch and stood from the pile of pillows on which he had been sitting with Fenris pulled close. The smaller man grumbled, sitting up slowly and carefully as though he had fallen asleep on Garrett, and perhaps he had. Marian hadn’t really been paying attention to him, having opted instead to turn her attention to the women lying with her on the couch.

She now turned her attention away from them and to her brother, though, and at her questioning glance he explained, “Dinner.” She nodded, moving her hand vaguely to the kitchen in a “go ahead” gesture and turning her attention back to the movie. Her vision was soon blocked by Fenris standing, but when he moved into the kitchen where Garrett was, the screen was unobstructed again, and she could keep watching with her girlfriends held close.

From then on out the movie was uninterrupted other than by the clattering of the kitchen, and Marian simple leaned back and enjoyed it, enjoyed the company of her loves, enjoyed the warmth of them curled up against her, all of them crammed onto the couch in their pajamas, all of them constantly cuddling and caressing and holding each other, all of them happy and together and content, interrupted only by Isabela occasionally grinning at the two others and muttering “gay” under her breath.

By the time the second movie was finished, the entire apartment was filled with the scent of Christmas dinner, and the girls didn’t have time to put on another movie before they heard the call for help.

“Marian!” Garrett called, “set the table, will you?”

Marian detangled herself from the mess of limbs on the couch and stood, ambling to the kitchen to begin helping. Isabela and Merrill followed, Merrill taking up post helping Garrett with the last bit of cooking, Isabela beginning to set the table with Marian. With all of them working together, dinner was ready in no time.

The whole affair was finished quickly, since they were, after all, a ravenous group of young adults feasting on their Satinalia dinner on a budget. Fenris and Garrett had somehow managed to turn it into a feast. Once everyone’s immediate hunger was sated and the feeding frenzy around the table had died down, Marian spoke up.

“So,” she said, putting her knife and fork down and grinning, “Isn’t it about time, or a bit late actually, to decide who’s going to be ruler for the day?”

Merrill and Fenris looked at her with confusion written clearly on their faces, but Garrett dropped his head in his hands and Isabela just grinned. Marian knew Fenris had never had opportunity to celebrate the holiday before, and she knew Merrill’s clan probably had never celebrated either, so she began explaining.

“So on Satinalia there’s a tradition of naming the town fool ruler for a day, and so I suggest Garrett gets to rule the house for the rest of the day like the fool he is.” She grinned fondly at her twin, and he made a silly grimace back at her.

“Seconded!” Isabela’s fist shot up and she grinned mischievously at Garrett. The others around the table laughed.

“I’m sure you only seconded that because you knew you would be next in line,” Fenris commented, and received a series of rude gestures in return from Isabela, though they were accompanied by a laugh and a grin.

“You know next in line would be you though, Fen,” she shot back, and he just grinned in response.

“Garrett’s big and goofy, yes,” Merrill commented, “but that doesn’t make him a fool?”

Marian grinned. “Remember that time the big, goofy and kind-hearted perfect student decided to associate with all of us?” she asked, and eyebrow raised. “He’s definitely the biggest fool here.”

Everyone laughed in agreement, even Garrett.

“All right, you’re all right,” Garrett conceded with a laugh, accepting the crumpled paper crown Marian pulled out of the back pocket of her jeans and placing it on his head.

“My first decree!” Garrett declared, acting regal in an overly dramatic fashion, eliciting a laugh from everyone present, “Fenris and I are exempt from doing the dishes tonight!”

Marian, Merrill and Isabela groaned, but nodded and grinned, accepting their fate with grace.

“Well, we did elect you, I guess,” Isabela conceded, and Garrett and Fenris moved to the couch while Marian, Merrill and Isabela got to work on the dishes.

It didn’t take them long to finish the task, and upon returning to the couch and pillows, they found their spaces on the couch occupied by two cuddling dorks.

“That is the sapphic couch, you gotta get off,” Marian declared, putting on a very fake and pretend frown, but Garrett just stuck his tongue out at her and pointed to his hat. Fenris chuckled, and Marian could again feel her thankfulness at Garrett having found this man, mixed in with the annoyance of losing her spot on the couch.

She didn’t say this, though, and instead put on the fake frown again and grumbled a “Fine” before settling into the nest of pillows and blankets in front of the couch, Merrill and Isabela following, settling so close to her and each other that one could hardly tell where one of them began and the others ended.

“The Nightmare Before Satinalia?” Garrett suggested, and everyone nodded enthusiastically at the movie suggestion. A minute later the movie was on and they were all settled close together, happy and safe and loved and feeling so good.

Marian took a moment to look upon her makeshift family, and couldn’t feel anything other than love for them. She had them, and they had each other, and she wanted to stay like this forever, stay with them forever.

Because family wasn’t necessarily the people you were born with, and Marian had known this for a while, but she had never really considered the fact that she would be able to build her own family, her own place to call home, her own people to call it home with.

This was her family. And Marian’s heart was full to bursting just thinking that.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. The holidays are good for a lot of people, but not everyone. If your family is shitty, or you don't have the opportunity to be with people you love on whatever you celebrate, or you don't want to be with the people you're supposed to be with, or you have to be with people who are bad to you, or something else sucky, I'm really sorry, and just remember that at some point, you will meet people who love you and treat you well! You will find someone to spend the holidays with, things get better, and if people are really getting you down you can feel free to hit me up on tumblr (my url is in my bio).  
> Thank you for reading, kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated, and happy holidays!


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